Primary Source Narrative of Frontier Life

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This image can be found on ducksters.com.


              The letter that I chose to read, located on memory.loc.gov, was written by Uriah W. Oblinger to his wife Mattie V. Oblinger and his baby daughter Ella Oblinger and sent on January 19, 1873. The background of this letter is that Uriah is in Nebraska and has a homestead and is raising money to bring his wife and baby to Nebraska. Uriah is making money by hauling ice for a company but he has run into some bad luck. First, he was sick, then his wagon broke, then there was a storm which kept him from working for a while, but now he is on track and making money. He talks about missing his wife and baby and also about his friend Giles who might come to work with him. He then talks about the icy and stormy weather in Nebraska but assures his wife that it's not that bad. He also addresses his wife's concerns about the Native American people living near Uriah in Nebraska and he assures her that they don't bother anyone. Overall, this letter was an etremely informative primary source about frontier life.

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